Abbas: Basic Immunology, 5th Edition
Chapter 02: Innate Immunity
Test Bank
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following statements about the innate
... [Show More] immune system is NOT true?
A. Innate immunity is present in all multicellular organisms, including plants and insects.
B. Deficiencies in innate immunity markedly increase host susceptibility to infection, even
in the setting of an intact adaptive immune response.
C. Innate immunity is better suited for eliminating virulent, resistant microbes than is
adaptive immunity.
D. The innate immune response can be divided into recognition, activation, and effector
phases.
E. The innate immune response against microbes influences the type of adaptive immune
response that develops.
ANS: C
Innate immunity is the first line of defense against infections, yet many pathogenic microbes
have evolved strategies to resist innate immunity. Adaptive immunity, being more potent and
specialized, plays a critical role in defending against these virulent microbes. Innate immunity is
the phylogenetically oldest mechanNismURofSmIiNcrGobTiaBl.deCfeOnMse, and it is present in all multicellular
BASIC IMMUNOLOGY 5TH EDITION ABBAS TEST BANK
organisms, including plants and insects. Studies have shown that hampering effector mechanisms
of innate immunity renders hosts much more susceptible to infection, even with a functional
adaptive immune system. It is also true that, like the adaptive response, the innate immune
response consists of recognition, activation, and effector phases. Although it provides the initial,
rapid response against microbes, innate immunity can influence adaptive immune responses to
tailor them against particular microbes.
2. A 4-year-old girl stepped on a rusty nail in her backyard. Two days later, she is taken to the
pediatrician because her heel is painful, red, and swollen and is warm to the touch. All of the
following are mechanisms of innate immunity that may be protecting the patient against
pathogenic microbes in the heel wound EXCEPT:
A. Epithelial barrier function of the skin of her foot
B. Intraepithelial lymphocytes present in the skin
C. Circulating neutrophils migrating to the site of the wound
D. Soluble cytokines that induce a local inflammatory response
E. Circulating anti-tetanus toxin antibodies
ANS: E
Secreted antibodies against protein antigens are effectors of humoral immunity, a component of
the adaptive immune system. All other mechanisms listed are part of the innate immune system.
Intact epithelial surfaces prevent microbial entry, and epithelial cells express anti-microbial
factors, such as defensins. Neutrophils are effector cells that function in early phagocytosis and
killing of microbes. Cytokines that mediate inflammation (e.g., tumor necrosis factor,
interleukin-1, chemokines) are components of innate immunity. Intraepithe-lial T lymphocytes
present in the epidermis and mucosal epithelia express a limited diversity of antigen receptors; as
such, they are considered effector cells of innate immunity and function in host defense by
secreting cytokines, activating phagocytes, and killing infected cells.
3. Which of the following comparisons of the innate and adaptive immune systems is FALSE?
A. The innate immune system is more likely to recognize normal self, and therefore cause
autoimmunity, than is the adaptive immune system.
B. Receptors used for recognition in innate immunity are encoded in the germline, whereas
those of the adaptive immune system are encoded by genes generated via somatic
recombination of germline receptor gene loci.
C. The innate and adaptive immune systems share some of the same effector mechanisms.
D. Both the innate and adaptive immune systems can recognize nonmicrobial substances.
E. The innate immune system does not have memory but the adaptive immune system do [Show Less]